STUDENTS were inspired when a former student came in to tell them about his race around the world.
Ben Pate from Freckleton left Carr Hill High School in 2001 with A Levels in Maths, Physics, Computer Studies and General Studies and from there went to study Automotive Engineering at Oxford Brookes University.
He came into school to tell students about the dreams and goals he has achieved in his life in the hope of inspiring more youngsters to follow theirs.
Ben always had the dream of working for Formula 1 and that dream came true when he joined the F1 team and won the 2008 World Championship with Lewis Hamilton.
Ben was then headhunted by General Motors and currently works as a test driver at Jaguar Land Rover but his biggest dream is the one he is just about to fulfil.
Ben will join a team of 52 on the eight leg race that will take him across the world over 11 months, covering 40,000 miles. Starting in September, Ben will travel from London and cover destinations including: Brazil, South Africa, Australia, China and Singapore. The race will raise money for the charity Action on Hearing Loss and so far Ben has made over £1250 for the cause.
He said: “I’d always had an interest in sailing so I decided to sign up for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. It’s a massive challenge but like with all my other dreams I decided to chase it and now I cannot wait until we set off.
“By taking on this challenge there are three things I want to do. One is that I want to learn a new skill and have an amazing experience; the second is that I want to raise as much money as possible for the charity and the third is that I want to inspire people to chase their dreams. If I can do it, anybody can.”
To follow Ben’s journey visit his blog on www.ben-pate-rtw.blogspot.co.uk or to donate to his charity go to www.justgiving.com/ben-pate-rtw.
Ben’s full story will be in the summer issue of the school magazine.
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